This is my personal blog which I began in February 2001. I called it The Obvious? when I wrote anonymously and chose the name to reflect the fact I have to overcome my inhibitions about stating the obvious!

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This excellent article on the rise and fall of PR makes the point that senior people talking in public are very rarely using their own words, and indeed often don't even know what they are talking about. I remember hearing of someone talking at the UN General Council who didn't realise that he had picked up and was re-reading the previous speakers already heard speech until someone came up to the lectern and pointed it out to him!

In blogging we talk of "authenticity" and "finding your voice". I never underestimate how hard it is for people proficient in business bollocks to rediscover the art of plain speaking, but if they are going to get involved in social spaces online they have to. How can they even begin to do that when someone else is writing their words for them?

The phrase "make them look good" came up in conversation during one of my workshops this week with a group of "professional communicators". I immediately picked up on this and we went into more depth on what that "make them look good" actually means. There was a split between those who saw their job being to make sure their senior folks said the right thing in the right way in public, and those of us who saw that as artificially propping up people not up to the job.

What do you reckon? Where does helping people to do their best stop and starting to think for them start?